Lamar Odom and socialite-turned-reality star Khloe Kardashian were engaged to
be married, the general reaction was either scornful or skeptical.
“That’s probably just an Internet rumor.”
“They’re guaranteed to be divorced in a month.”
“She needs the publicity…”
“He needs the publicity.”
Granted, the 30-year-old small forward from the NBA champion
Lakers has significantly less Hollywood cache than his megastar teammate Kobe
Bryant. Similarly, Khloe Kardashian is generally considered to be the Daniel Baldwin
of the Kardashian sisters, but are we truly so cynical that we believe that
this rush to the alter is strictly a PR stunt? It’s probably not.
Lamar Odom has been known for erratic behavior
since he’s been in the NBA. He’s admittedly a free spirit who just gives in to his desires. As a younger man, that meant
getting caught repeatedly for violating the NBAs drug policy (Odom had a little
reefer madness back in the day). That nonconformity more recently manifested itself in a drawn-out
contract dispute with a team that virtually everyone in sports knew he was going to re-sign with. So for Odom to just up and get married isn’t
outside the realm of possibility.
As for Khloe, well maybe she just really likes him.
And she’s young, rich and a (sort of) celebrity. Are we that surprised that a
young celebutante is rushing to get married to a man she barely knows? Is this
unprecedented behavior? Do we have to rattle off the Who’s Who list of celebs
who have been just as — if not more so — impulsive?
So let’s not rush to assume that this is some coldly
calculated stunt. Let’s take it for what it is — a borderline stupid act of reckless abandon that is being enabled by a family
that seems to enable everything. It’s quite possibly a mistake that both
of these millionaires will likely be able to walk away from largely unscathed
should things go awry. Not that we’re rooting for them to go awry — but all
signs point to a “‘train wreck.”
I’m just saying.
–todd williams
